Ariel Castro did not die of auto-erotic asphyxiation, coroner says

By Kevin Conlon, CNN

Updated 0420 GMT (1120 HKT) October 11, 2013

A medical examiner in Ohio disputed reports late Thursday that Ariel Castro died of auto-erotic asphyxiation. Franklin County coroner Paula Gorniak, who performed his autopsy remains convinced he committed suicide.

"I did the autopsy personally," Gorniak said. Those who arrived at the idea that Castro died accidentally did not consult her, she added.

Castro was convicted of kidnapping, holding captive and raping three girls for about a decade. He received a sentence of life plus 1,000 years in jail. He was later found dead in his jail cell on September 3.